Revealed: Name of next Star Wars instalment announced

Russell Jackson

The name for the next instalment in the Star Wars film franchise has been revealed as The Last Jedi.

The eighth Star Wars film, otherwise known as Star Wars: Episode VIII, follows 2015’s successful The Force Awakens, the first of a new sequel trilogy.

A tweet shared by the Star Wars account read: “It’s official. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedi.”

The film will see previous Star Wars actors, including Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, reprising their roles.

Carrie Fisher, who died in December aged 60, will also appear in The Last Jedi, in what has been promised as her last outing as General Leia Organa.

Star Wars makers Lucasfilm said there were no plans to digitally recreate Fisher - who rose to fame in the first Star Wars film in 1977 as Princess Leia - to appear in future episodes of the movie saga, although she had finished filming her scenes in Star Wars eight before her death.

The film company said in a statement: ‘’There is a rumour circulating that we would like to address.

‘’We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.’’

The Last Jedi has been written and directed by Rian Johnson, while The Force Awakens’s director J.J. Abrams took on the role of executive producer, along with Jason McGatlin and Tom Karnowski.